Every Breath You Take
by the fiery sage
Summary: Claire, misunderstood yet extremely gifted. Josh, charming yet extremely secretive. As Claire falls for him, she finds herself caught up in his world: something that's truly out of the world she's known.  Originally Sweet Disposition
1. Claire

**Hello, my fellow readers! I bring to you a better version of what this story was originally called: Sweet Disposition. It is now called Every Breath You Take, which is based on the song by The Police. I was inspired by some true events, which are insignificant as you will realize because I have never had the experiece that Claire is going to experience with Josh. I hope you'll enjoy the "pilot" of my new series. Haha! :)**

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><p><strong>Every Breath You Take<strong>

**Chapter 1: **

**Claire**

Judi and Jay (I honestly couldn't figure out why they wanted me to call them that) were out of town promoting the new book they wrote on their perceptions of life improvement. It was ironic how they were trying to help other people when they were oblivious to the fact that their kids were deprived of their parents existence half of the time.

Todd was off exploring the world as he had graduated a year ago and was enjoying college life. He rarely came back to visit but he always stayed in touch with me.

I lied on my bed, my Cosmo magazine sprawled on my chest. I got lazy with my hands at the moment. I had the house all to myself because the housekeeping staff were on leave for a few days. They were more like family to me than my parents were. They offered me to go visit their family up in New Jersey but I declined as I had a butt load of homework to work on.

As I worked on my packet on genetics, I pondered my existence. Whenever a person is alone, it leaves them a lot of opportunities to wander through his or her imagination.

I saw myself right by the Marina, lying on the grass as I watched kids fly their kites high up into the sky. The heavy hum of traffic was hard to ignore but it somehow soothed me. The smell of the salty ocean from a few miles away was so familiar to me. I pictured myself alone. Because who else could I want to spend time with when everyone was busy? Suddenly, I spontaneously conjured in my head a masculine figure. His strong hold gripped my hand. He lied down beside me and just when I was about to turn over to see who my dream guy was, I-

Woke up to the sound of rocks being thrown at my window.

It was strange because I thought the entire residence was oblivious to my existence. I yawned and stretched as I got up from my bed. I walked over to my window, which showed me a view of the beach 2 stories below my family's townhouse. No one was around.

"Okay, just a little weird." I muttered. I refused to spook myself and think about it further. I decided to make myself some popcorn and curl up on the couch to watch _The Adjustment Bureau._

…

When I inserted the DVD into the slot of the player, the DVD refused to stay inserted. I tried keeping the slot closed by pressing the palm of my hand against it but to no avail. No movie for me tonight. I frowned and decided to watch some TV. I doubted anything good was on anymore.

And would you believe it? The cable wasn't working. Only static appeared on the screen. The noise the static made creeped me out so I flipped the TV off.

Was something up with the cable? I narrowed my eyes at the screen.

Rain started pouring hard. Weird, the cable would've gone out once the rain had fallen harder. Why before?

I decided to try the house phone. No service.

The lights began to flicker on and off until the electricity completely shut off, just as I expected from the storm. It looked like I was going to bed earlier tonight.

…

I lied in bed, completely awake. My Chemical Romance was playing through my headphones. I sighed. What a dull Saturday night.

I could've gone to the Homecoming dance, but I refused to.

I told everyone it was because I was already spending a lot on college application fees and for my trip to France. Naturally, they bought it. I was a pretty good liar when I tried hard enough.

I thought about Cam and his arms around Massie. It disgusted me. All those months of pining for him to notice me. Down the flipping toilet. If I had gone to the dance, I would've been moping because Cam would be everywhere my eyes ever fell because A) he was the center of attention and B) I had it bad for him. I didn't want to put my friends and spectators through the agony of seeing me agonize over him so I didn't go.

Now I was alone. And my trip to the bookstore didn't even satisfy me enough. Especially since there was no light for me to use to read the novels I picked up.

I eventually grew tired and fell into a deep slumber.

…

_I was at the dance. I thought the theme was Arabian Nights this year. Instead, the dance was Mardi Gras. I was kind of excited. I was disappointed when the Homecoming Committee voted for Arabian Nights. How stupid. The guys just wanted belly dancers and the girls just wanted the excuse to look like Arabian prostitutes. _

_I looked at myself. I saw myself in the most beautiful dress I could have ever dreamed up. It was a sleeveless satin dress that stretched to accentuate my curves. It was a beautiful rose stone color. It had a tulle neckline and straps with a V-shaped back. I had never felt more exposed in my life. Even if it was just a dream. I had a Venetian mask that covered the top half of my face, only revealing my nose and my lips…That felt unbelievably soft… _

_I walked around, not being able to recognize anybody. However, when I heard Derrick's notorious snickers, I was able to see him and a group of my friends, including their dates. _

_I smiled. Maybe I would have a good time. There was no site of Cam or Massie. A boost of confidence surged through me._

_I felt a light tap on my shoulder. The touch sent electricity through me. I turned around to see a guy, who looked pretty dashing in his dark gray suit with his copper plated mask. He had a grin on his face. _

"_Um…Can I help you?" I asked._

_He nodded as he extended his hand out. I eyed it warily. His brown eyes were pleading. I noticed a sparkle in them and my heart swayed. I didn't hesitate a moment more. _

_We walked toward the dance floor. He took the lead, blowing me away with his expert moves. He held me closely as the songs grew slower. I was caught in a trance._

"_Isn't it amazing?" He whispered, speaking for the first time. His voice was husky and spellbinding. I blushed a bit, thankful for the mask not revealing that fact entirely._

"_What is?" I asked as we spun around in slow, gentle circles. I was surprised that we hadn't gotten dizzy. _

_At first, he wouldn't respond. He smiled with satisfaction and ran his hand smoothly over my blonde curls. _

"_That we're both sharing the same dream."_

_Wrapped in confusion, the scene of the dance began to fade. Everything faded and the last thing I could remember seeing in my dream was the way his lips were leaning closer to mine._

…

The rest of the weekend I spent cramming the homework I left for that Sunday and thinking about the all-too real dream.

..Who was he? And were his last words meant to be a warning or something I should worry about?

I tried to convince myself that it was just the best dream I have ever had and I should move on. But I couldn't.

"Claire! We're home!" I heard the door knob rattling as my parents were opening the door. It was late Sunday afternoon.

"Oh, hey!" I said as I walked to the foyer to receive them. They gave me kisses on both cheeks: a custom I never appreciated. I asked them how their trip was and they said it was fine, going on and on about how many interviews they had done and how many of their published books they signed. And you know what? They never even bothered to ask me how my weekend was after all that.

I should be used to it by now but it always stung. I always hoped that they would, for once, see how much they have been neglecting me and change their ways. It was hopeless. Whenever I had suggested they were oblivious to me, they would blame me and so-called hormonal years for my extreme craving for attention.

Stupidest excuse ever.

…

I rode my bike to school everyday, which was one of the parts of my day that I always enjoyed. The wind that blew in my hair. The salty breeze from the ocean was near. I finally made it to Bal Harbor High School, my second home for almost four years now.

The school was recently established. My freshman year happened to be second year it had existed. The walls were painted bright colors and the lockers were bright, like they were made out of real gold or silver. I could hear the murmurs and laughter from the students who had attended the dance last weekend. I knew this was coming so I picked up the pace so I could get to my locker faster.

Believe it or not, this school had so many kids that I met someone new almost every day, which would explain the guy in my dreams…Maybe he went here?

Then I thought about it. Impossible. A guy that I supposedly made up in my dreams who claimed that he was dreaming with me…How could he possibly be real?

I was too transfixed on the latest Nicholas Sparks novel that I bumped into someone.

"Sorry, I-" I looked up at the stranger.

And the first thing I noticed was his eyes. That same sparkle. And that smile.

"No, I should've steered clear." He said, as he ran his hand through his jet black hair. "I kind of used this as an excuse to actually talk to you."

"What?" I couldn't help but saying.

He chuckled. "Don't sound so surprised. No guy in his right mind would ever want to avoid you."

This was getting a bit crazy. He couldn't be the guy from my dream.

And then I realized: What if I predicted that I was meeting tall, dark, and sexy?

"Well, I'll take that as a compliment." I tried to move my side bangs away from my right eye. That's something I did when I felt self-conscious.

He nodded. "I'm Josh." He extended his hand out to me. Déjà vu…

Then again, shaking hands is what you did when you met someone new. "Claire." I took his hand and felt a radiating warmth from him. It felt so good to feel his touch. I didn't want to let go but my wariness of him had the upper hand.

"I moved into town a few weeks ago."

That would explain why I had never seen him before. "Oh. Where from?"

"…Venice. Well, I spent a few weeks there as a birthday present. I'm actually from Houston." His dark eyes never swayed from mine. It was like he was unclothing me without having the intention to do so. I was starting to feel a little too warm for my taste.

That would explain the bronze in his skin tone. He looked glorious. His muscular torso was visible through his gray T-shirt. My heart hasn't stopped beating fast yet.

"Well, that's cool. So do you like it here?" I asked.

"Yeah, I feel like everything I've been looking for in a school is here." He grinned.

He must have been interested in the noteworthy art courses offered or the science program that was one of the best in Florida.

"Well, I'm glad." I smiled. "So what's your first period?"

"AP English with Mr. Howard." He said. "You?"

"Oh, I have that last period. I have Spanish."

He frowned a bit but that smile was still visible. "Well, that's a shame."

The bell rang indicating we had three minutes to get to class.

"I better go so…maybe we'll see each other again?" I didn't mask the fact that I was hoping. I didn't care if he could see it.

He seemed happy with what I had asked. "Yeah, we will."

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><p><strong>Coming Up: Chapter 2 - Josh<strong>

**-blushing bookworm (Ariana)**


	2. Josh

_**Here's the next chapter! Thanks for the feedback! (: Please keep'em coming!**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2:<strong>

**Josh**

"I don't get it." Kristen frowned at me as we walked into our third period AP Calc class.

"And what would that be?" I frowned as I tapped my pencil against my desk.

"You transferred to another school in another state in the middle of the semester. I thought you loved Houston." She frowned, that frustrated look plastered on her face.

I frowned. Kristen wouldn't understand, even after all the years we had known each other. I was meant to attend this school because everything was meant to fall into place here at Bal Harbor High.

I clenched my fist at how frustrating it was to keep my distance from that beautiful stranger. I had to strategize how I would get to know her without looking like the biggest stalker of life. It wouldn't be easy.

"I just needed a little change is all." I said coolly.

The dirty blonde chuckled sarcastically. "I'm sure that's all it was."

"Why are you so interested to know?" I asked.

She sighed. "It's not like you to just get up and leave your home. Your parents must be devastated."

Huh. I almost laughed. They weren't devastated. "Sure they are."

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Want to change the subject, huh?"

"You know me so well."

"I see you met Claire. She's a cutie, huh?" She smiled wide.

Kristen was smarter than she realized. She didn't realize that Claire was the reason I was here in the first place.

…

I set foot into the cafeteria and scanned through the lunch tables. I had made a good group of friends throughout the day. I had already known some, like Kristen, Massie, and Kemp. They were still skeptical about my sudden move to here so I tried to steer clear from them the entire day. I finally met eyes with the girl who mercilessly stared at me. She regretted having done so as she stared down at her lap. However, she surprised me when she looked back up again and grinned.

I took that as a chance to sit with her at her table. She was alone. It didn't look like she minded being alone at that moment. Maybe she had been waiting for me but I shouldn't get my hopes up.

"Hey." I said as I sat beside her.

"Hi, Josh." She nodded as she closed the book she was reading and put it back in her backpack.

"Are you reading an erotic novel?" I joked, cocking my head over to hear with the best smile I could muster.

She tossed her head back and laughed. She blushed slightly. "A teen paranormal romance. So sue me."

"Ah, so the fair maiden likes romance." I nodded.

She smiled. "I'm a girl of many interests."

"I'm a guy who's willing to learn." I moved slightly closer but not enough for her to notice and flinch.

She looked at me questioningly, like if I was sure if I wanted to get to know her. Hell, yeah I wanted to get to know her.

"Well…if you insist. I like lacrosse. I have a strange addiction to Sour Patch Kids. My favorite movie of all time is Superbad. I think Cristiano Ronaldo is ugly. And I absolutely adore narwhals." She smiled cheekily at me.

"I'm impressed." I chuckled. "You're the first girl I met who seems to detest Ronaldo as much as I do."

"I find him pretty repulsive. The whole cocky and 'I know I'm hot' image he plays is so stupid." She rolled her eyes.

I grinned. "Well, I like Radiohead and Aerosmith. My favorite movie is Gran Torino. I play soccer and I like air hockey. And I was a bit skeptical about coming here…But not anymore."

She batted her eyelashes as she thought about what I said. "Well, that's good to hear. What made you start liking it here?" She was eager to know and I reckoned she didn't know that she was one of the reasons why I wanted to stay here.

"Well, the city's great. They've got all the classes I want here. And then there's the people, who are pretty warm and welcoming." I winked at her.

She laughed. "Honestly, I don't know how you can be so bold."

I didn't know how to respond to that. In fact, she was making me nervous. My heart was beating faster than it normally had when I was in her presence. And I barely even knew her. I could only give her an innocent look as I widened my eyes and pouted my lips.

Claire laughed. Her hair was tied up in a messy ponytail. Everything about her seemed so effortless. She was like a breath of fresh air. She had practically no make-up on. It amazed me because at my last school, all the girls would explode if they forgot to wear either their eye liner or mascara when they already had layers full of make-up all over their face.

"What?" She smiled, staring down at her shoes.

"Nothing." I said mischievously.

"You don't like to speak your mind so much now, do you?" She raised her brows at me.

"I'm a man that lives by the phrase 'actions speak louder than words'."

She laughed. "Is that so? Care to demonstrate?"

Glad to. I smirked as inched closer to her and planted a kiss on her cheek. I kept my lips pressed to her smooth cheek longer than expected. I could tell she was shocked and she felt the electricity spark between our contact with one another.

She blushed and avoided my gaze.

Claire seemed as if she were in a daze. She smiled, a dreamy expression on her face. I was a little concerned because naturally, any girl would freak out that a guy she'd just met and gotten to know kissed her the way I had. It wasn't even on the lips so-

Her blue eyes widened as she realized what just happened. She turned even redder, looking like a porcelain doll. She placed her fingertips on her cheek. "What just happened?"

She was so innocent and fragile that I was stunned to silence.

"Sorry…" I cleared my throat. "It's kind of customary to kiss people on the cheeks since I'm Latino, but since you're obviously not Latina…We can just forget that I did that…" I didn't want to forget, though.

She was trying to muster up something to say. She shook her head to try to make sense out of things, I supposed. "No…I…actually didn't mind it at all."

I was bewildered at her response. She seemed like the type who would smack a guy for putting the moves on her so soon.

Claire was different.

"You know," she began, sounding normal again. "I didn't regret that because I'm tired of hoping for something to happen. I just knew…that I wanted that to happen. I like you, Josh. When you want to do something, you don't hesitate. I wish I were more like that."

She felt the connection, too, didn't she?

"Josh!" Kristen called me from the lunch line. She motioned for me to come over. She looked like she meant business.

I gave her a skeptical look and she tapped her foot on the ground impatiently.

"So…You were all right with what just happened?" I asked warily just to make sure I hadn't been hallucinating.

Claire pursed her lips and thought about it for the longest moment. A little smile formed on her face. "Yeah, I was."

I gaped at her. This girl was full of surprises. And we hadn't even known each other for 24 hours yet.

Claire noticed Kristen waiting for me. "Looks like you're needed. See you later?" She smiled, hopeful.

I nodded and chuckled.

I was completely ecstatic.

…

"What the hell was that?" Kristen hissed as I walked over to her. She smacked my arm. And not too playfully, I might add.

"I couldn't help it!" I laughed. "She was just so cute!"

"You better not be playing with her emotions, stupid. I never heard the end of it when Carla called me about what you did to her."

Carla was a former flame of mine back in Houston. She was one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen with her naturally brunette curls and long eyelashes. She had the most killer legs and she didn't even play a sport! We had gone out for a few weeks. She was so infatuated with me. However, I, on the other hand, just didn't feel a connection to her. But I didn't know how to break it to her. So one day when another girl named Hannah was boldly making a move on me, Carla thought I was cheating on her.

"For the last time," I said, rolling my eyes heavenward, "Hannah shoved me against a wall. I wasn't at fault. I was going to end things with Carla at that second. Hannah is the biggest drama queen that ever walked the planet."

Kristen sighed. "Of course, I believe you. But you have to be careful. In case you didn't realize it…you've accumulated a fan club." She nodded her head towards a table of girls that were waving at me once I'd turned around and noticed them.

"Girls are devious creatures." Kristen admitted. "Some will do anything to get what they want so you better be careful. Even guys sometimes lose control and end up doing something stupid when any girl that has a 'nice rack' or a-."

"Ah Kris, never say those words again. You ruin the joy us men have in saying them."

Her smile creeped onto her face. "I know." She winked and walked away to meet up with her friends.

Ah, I thought to myself, what a pal I had in Kristen.

…

The school day had ended and all the students swarmed around, some to meet up with their better halves and others to their lockers. I had gathered all I needed from my locker and headed for the parking lot.

Kemp met up with me because his Range Rover was parked next to mine. "You want to grab something to eat with us? Like old times?"

I smiled. "Sorry but I'm gonna have to take a rain check. Got some things to take care of at my new bachelor pad."

"All right! Just don't forget to invite us over!"

Kemp met up with some of our friends and they drove off. I scanned the parking lot to see if I could spot the head of platinum blonde hair could be spotted. No luck.

I drove home. My apartment was located in Miami Beach. I actually loved it here. I had some cousins down here. They offered for me to crash at their place but I was fortunate to have found a place of my own. I was pretty thrilled at the prospect of living out here on my own. I was bound to eventually. And it's not like my parents would have had anything to say about it anyway since they were always out of town.

I lived in a condo at Canyon Ranch. It was right by the beach so I was looking forward to getting in the water. I never got to go to the beach as much as I wanted to.

I got up to my condo on the tenth floor and set my stuff on the floor. I walked over the balcony and stared down at the shoreline. The sound of the waves crashing was enthralling.

My trance was disrupted when my cell phone started ringing.

I answered, knowing I didn't need to say anything at all.

"Josh." Alicia's voice sounded suspiciously neutral.

I rolled my eyes and suppressed a sigh. "What?"

"Good to hear your voice, too." She said, bitterness in her voice.

"Just cut to the chase, already. You aren't calling me through your own will."

Alicia sighed. " Your parents wanted me to make sure that you arrived safely to Miami."

"After two weeks, they decided to check up on me?" I didn't care about masking my rage.

"Josh…They didn't know that you were leaving Houston. They were absolutely furious when they found out last week."

I was satisfied to piss them off. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Now, so I can leave you in peace…How are you adjusting?"

"Just fine." I said. "I enrolled in a high school close to my condo. I have Aunt Janine's number in case anything happens. The high school's great. I already know a few people. I'm doing fine."

I could feel Alicia's grin over the phone. "I can tell…You met someone."

I was so close to stammering. "How the hell could you possibly know something like that?"

She laughed. "We're like siblings, Joshua. You can never deny that. If you're ever having doubts, I'm always here for you."

I actually smiled and felt a pang of guilt for the way I treated Alicia. She was the daughter of one of my dad's co-partners at his company. But she saw my parents more often than I had. But it wasn't her fault. She was in college right now and being taken under my parents' wing in their business.

"Sorry, Alicia. It's just…I'm sick of all the secrecy between us. Why won't you tell me where you guys are?" I almost pleaded.

"…I'm sorry, Josh. But I have to go!" She said. "I'll call you soon! Be careful and stay safe! We love you!"

That was the first time Alicia ever said that my parents had loved me. I never doubted Alicia's devotion to me as a sister. But my parents never showed that they cared. Maybe I had been wrong all along. Then again, I had no idea what was going on. I sighed as I threw my phone onto my bed. I started unpacking the rest of my stuff to make my new home actually feel like my own home.

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><p><strong><em>Thanks for reading! Please review! Stay tuned for the next chapter: Claire! (:<em>**


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